OPEN: And you can shake the mountains with a whisper

[bookish_lioness]

WHO: Hermione Granger and YOU!
WHAT: Hermione ventures out of the library. Sometimes. But she's also in the library most of the time, because she's Hermione.
WHEN: Late Justinian, creeping into early Solace if need be.
WHERE: Throughout Skyhold, just outside of Skyhold, pick a place far away from Skyhold and find a reason to drag her there.
NOTES: If you'd like a particular starter and/or would like to hash out some minor assumed CR that can lead into this, feel free to let me know either via PM or plurk (StarryOblivion). Otherwise, feel free to have them randomly bump into one another!

The Herald's Rest.

Hermione doesn't often come in here, not since receiving an odd look when she'd first asked for just some water (really, given how young everyone here seems to think she is, she'd been surprised that the surly bartender had thought she'd wanted something harder). But sometimes it's a nice change of pace, sitting among the mostly quiet chattering of the other patrons and enjoying the fire as she reads or looks over her notes. Presuming, of course, that no one is foolish enough to have too much to drink and try to bother her. Talking is a distraction she'll accept with no fuss, but Merlin help anyone who's had enough alcohol to think she's open to anything friendlier than that.

Stables.

When she'd first arrived at Skyhold, the stables had seemed relatively empty and were a fine place for practicing her magic without risking hurting anyone. She'd thought she could do the same now, only to find that there are considerably more horses - and, er, other creatures - residing there. Magic might only frighten them, she decides, but they're so pretty that she can't help visiting with them for a bit, getting as close to them as she dares. It's been years since she's ridden a horse, but she's entirely certain that these mounts aren't exactly the type that would trot gently along a given course for an inexperienced rider, so she isn't even going to ask after something so silly, even if the interest is clearly there in her eyes.

Courtyard, not too far from the healing tents.

When the stables prove not to be the best place to practice with her magic, Hermione decides that it might be best to find a little corner close to the healing tents instead. At least then there would be other mages around, and so it was less likely that anyone who stumbled across her would look at her disdainfully. And if anyone gets hurt, a healer wouldn't be too far away. Of course, she highly doubts that anyone would get hurt just because she was unsuccessfully attempting to transfigure leaves and pebbles and whatever else happens to be in the vicinity. Transfiguration doesn't seem to be an aspect of her magic that's carried over into Thedas, or at least Hermione can't manage it without more practice, given that she's growing more and more frustrated as she continuously taps rocks and other objects with what looks like a stick, muttering to herself in exasperation.

Library. Because of course.

If you've been to the library, you've seen her. Whether you know her and enjoy talking to her about rifter politics or think it's entertaining to scandalize her or have never bothered to approach her, Hermione can more often than not be found in the same little niche in the library, nose in a book or a quill hastily scribbling down notes. Or even, occasionally, dozing off, since she hasn't exactly claimed any sort of sleeping space for her own and more often than not loses track of the time when she doesn't explicitly have somewhere to be.

Wildcard!

Hermione wanders, and while she tries to be careful, sometimes it takes her places she just shouldn't go. If it doesn't look like a private room or setting, it's safe to assume that the young witch has made her way there, likely looking for a quiet place to read or do magic or just to get a few moments of silence. And while she doesn't often journey outside of Skyhold, she can definitely be tempted beyond its walls if she has the right incentive, or the right company.

Comments

court yard

[universal_charm]

Kirk was coming back from running an errand to the healing tents, dropping off an order as part of one of those jack-of-all trades kind of jobs he performed for his daily bread. Walking back across the courtyard, he spies Hermoine - playing with rocks? He squints a bit, wondering what she could possibly be up to, and for a second considers if it might be better to leave her to her project.

But his curiosity won out and he made his way over to her, scuffing his shoes to make noise and get her attention and not spook her.

"Did you lose something?" he asked her.

[bookish_lioness]

It probably wouldn't be for the best to startle a witch while she was practicing transfiguration spells. Luckily for Kirk, despite Hermione being very much focused on jabbing this very uncooperative rock with the tip of her wand, this seemed like one of those fields of magic that was just a bit too complicated to manage with the interference of the Fade, so though she did jump a bit as she looked up at Kirk, he was in no real danger even before she lowered her wand.

"It won't turn into a ball," she explained petulantly. "At first I thought that was because I was imagining a rubber ball and that's probably too synthetic a material to really work here, so I imagined something cruder wrapped in leather, but it won't even turn into a spherical rock!" Huffing, she crossed her arms over her chest and looked indignantly at the rock in front of her before muttering, "I could have easily turned it into a snail when I was only twelve, but everything has to be so difficult here!"

[universal_charm]

He opened his mout to remark on why anyone would teach a twelve year old to turn anything into a snail - that just seemed like a disaster waiting to happen - and snapped it shut just as quickly. Hermoine seemed upset enough as it was, or more rather frustrated.

"Your magic still isn't working like it should?" He guessed, sympathy in his voice.

Courtyard

[gatheringstorm]

Returning from a trip outside the fortress to informally scout and let off some steam in ways other than assaulting training dummies, Korrin catches sight of Hermione when she gets closer to the healing tents. She starts to wave, then pauses as she takes notice of what Hermione's doing. Which doesn't make a lot of sense to her, personally, but it's not a stretch to assume it has to do with her own type of magic.

"...Hermione? What are you doing?"

[bookish_lioness]

"Transfiguring," she murmurs absently, still waving her wand in a controlled motion and tapping at the small black feather she'd found on the ground. Perhaps the rocks are just too dense to work, and turning a feather into a ribbon would end up being much easier.

Or maybe there's something to the idea that Gryffindors are unnaturally stubborn.

"Or trying to," she sighs, finally putting her wand down and looking up at Korrin. "It doesn't seem to be working well. I'm still not sure why some of my basic magic works while other spells don't."

[gatheringstorm]

Approaching to have a better look, Korrin pauses and crosses her arms, eyebrow raised. When Hermione lowers her want, her expression changes from one of curiosity to sympathy. "Maybe it's too different from what we know in Thedas. At least I don't know of any magic that can turn something into something else. Have you tried using a staff?"

She knows they talked about it before, but not if that would help with the more 'exotic' spells.

Stables

[demonicbeauty]

Ariadne was wary when it came to horses. Back home, they were the primary mode of transportation for those who didn't have magic. But somehow, she'd never quite gotten comfortable with the idea of sitting on top of another living, breathing creature and forcing it to go where you wanted it to go.

Still. She would have to become comfortable with them eventually. Especially here. Where travel magic didn't seem to be an option.

So Ariadne forced herself to go down to the stables, at least once every couple of days. If only to try to feel more secure around the gentle giants.

But it was still unnerving.

Seeing Hermione there, though, made her smile a little bit. "Hello!" she chirped, making her way over to her fellow Rifter. "What are you doing here?"

[bookish_lioness]

Hearing someone greet her, Hermione turned and needed a moment before she could remember Ariadne from the various other faces she'd met early in her stay at Skyhold. "Oh! Hello!" Managing a small smile before turning back to the horses, she kept her arms folded around herself as she peered curiously up at the horse nearest to her.

"I'm just looking at the mounts. I'd been looking for a place to practice a bit with my magic, but seeing that we actually have a few animals in the stables now, I'd rather not startle them." Glancing back at Ariadne, she asked, "Do you ride?"

[demonicbeauty]

Ariadne shook her head, walking over to stand beside Hermione. "No. But I've been in carriages before, a few times." Which really wasn't the same thing at all, but it was experience enough to know how dangerous it was to spook a horse.

Those hooves could be very unforgiving.

"I feel kind of sorry for them," she added. "Being cooped up in here all the time. It must be so boring, don't you think?"

Stables

[justice_is_blond]

Someone's getting closer. He's heard them walking around the stables for several minutes now, thinking maybe they were just there to get their horse out, but now he's not sure. When they continue getting closer Anders sighs.

"Be quiet as you head this way, please." His voice is pitched low. One kitten is sleeping on him while another two tussle in the hay, all of them waiting for their mother to come back from hunting. He'd gotten here just a little too late to feed her, probably because 95% of his attention was focused on those in the healing tents.

[bookish_lioness]

Hermione had been only all too happy to let herself get distracted by the horses, though hearing a low, familiar voice speaking to her takes her by surprise. She hadn't realized anyone had been around, and when she moves to pop her head in and say hello to Anders, she finds herself distracted once again.

"Oh!" she gasps, stopping at the sight of the tiny cat on Anders. She gasps again when she notices the other two playing not too far away, and she takes a step towards them before forcing herself to stop, not wanting to scare them off.

"You have a way with cats, I see," she murmurs softly, eventually taking her eyes away from the kittens to actually look at Anders.

[justice_is_blond]

Hermione. It's a relief to see her. There aren't a lot of people he has the energy to deal with right now, but she's welcome.

"If you're slow about taking a seat, just out of the stall opening, they won't be scared. And yes." He gives her a small, very tired smile. "They're about the one group I'm good with, really. They don't care if you're a mage or what you've done. They just want food, warmth, and attention on their terms. You're looking better. How are you feeling?"

Courtyard

[sandsofhell]

Martin was walking around the yard, fresh from training and now looking for a bit of well earned rest. It was a long and busy day, between people whining, people to yell at and be yelled at from. Now he's eyeing a girl doing something with a stick.

Hm, he paused and stared at her for a moment before getting curious enough to approach. "That's some fancy stick work."

[bookish_lioness]

"It's not a stick," Hermione replied immediately, looking up at the unfamiliar person with a small frown. Looking away from her work for a moment helped her put things in perspective, and she took a breath, trying not to take her frustrations out on someone who didn't deserve it.

"Sorry," she muttered, sitting back on her heels. "It's the equivalent of a staff in my world, but it's not working the way it should. I didn't mean to snap."

[sandsofhell]

Sure looks like a stick, but hey given the context of this place it could be a snake that looks like a piece of wood for all he knew. Still, she seemed to be rather frustrated at the lack of something happening.

"It's fine." He grunted in response. "What's it not doing then?" Straight to business.

staaaaables

[amygdalae]

When Hermione comes to the stables on this fine day, there is something notably different - that difference being a dracolisk that's apparently making an attempt to knock down the gate of the pen it's locked in for some unknown reason.

At first it tries to use its head to try and push it open, but when that doesn't work it shifts to almost throwing itself against the gate with hopefully enough force to break it somehow. So far the gate seems to be holding, but its hard to tell if that will keep up from the constant abuse that the dracolisk is throwing at it.

[bookish_lioness]

While Hermione's always liked looking at the horses... that definitely isn't a horse. She freezes for a moment before remembering that right, that isn't a thestral either, and she's seen it before, albeit she hadn't exactly been all too keen on remembering anything about that place.

What she does remember, though, is that the creature had been gentle enough under its apparent owner's care, and she quickly looks around for him, moving cautiously towards the pen in question. "Shh, shh, careful!" she tells it in a hushed voice, giving another quick look around for the man she'd seen walking with it in the Fade before looking at the dracolisk again. She doesn't dare get too close or move directly in front of it in the event that it does break out, but she knows most animals can be calmed down if they're treated just as calmly. "You're going to end up hurting yourself, you know. Where's your friend?"

[amygdalae]

The dracolisk doesn't seem to be listening to Hermione; if anything it seems to be even more agitated, letting out a rusty sort of snort as it slams itself against the gate once more.

Unlike the previous times, however, there's a response that comes after the attempt. "I'm right here, you don't need to--" Bruce pauses in his exasperated response when he steps into the stables from the other end, catching sight of the other and slowly placing a name to the face. "Granger, yes?"

Justinian 21st

[theproperglove]

Josephine is not looking for the young rifter mage in particular, but she is not altogether surprised to see Hermione in the library. Come to think of it, she hasn't spoken to the other woman since the soiree, and it would be nice to see how she is going, and even perhaps get some insight into how the rafters are settling into Skyhold.

"Good afternoon. I do hope I'm not disturbing you."

[bookish_lioness]

Hermione has found that most people already know this little spot in the library as hers, and so she tends to stay there whenever she anticipates people coming by to speak to her, either about rifter business or something else. When she looks up from her book, though, it's clear she hadn't been expecting Josephine, though she certainly doesn't look as though she's at all disappointed to see her.

"Oh, hello! No, no, not at all! How have you been doing?"

[theproperglove]

"As well as I can, thank you, given our circumstances." She casts a quick glance around the room as though to acknowledge the peculiar sequence events that has lead them both to occupying this castle. "I was simply passing through when I saw you, and thought that I would see how you are settling in, now you've spent more here."

healing tents;

[fightorfright]

Amélie has been known to linger around the healing tents, if not in them. She rarely carries a staff these days but sometimes it's just more comfortable to be near other mages.

This particular morning, she's hanging around the tents minding her own business when she spots the weird girl getting mad at the rocks. At first, she decides against approaching, realising that it's not any of her business, but then she finds that she can't quite help herself.

"What are you doing?" She sounds more bewildered than anything.

[bookish_lioness]

Hermione is getting ready to pick one of the rocks up from the ground and toss it aside, but the thought of accidentally hitting someone - even if she is by the healing tents - manages to stop her. Besides, someone's approaching her, and she realizes that she must look ridiculous, getting upset over a pile of rocks.

"Wishing my magic would cooperate a bit more," she replies, trying not to take her frustrations out on a random passerby, especially one she doesn't properly know. "Sorry if that was distracting in some way."

Balcony

[madame_de_fer]

Having a hand in the process of settling the younger mages with mentors consumes a great deal of Vivienne's time of late. It's a vital task, however, as idle mages have a terrible habit of whipping up some sort of trouble or other to break their boredom. Part of the process involves familiarizing herself with all the mages in Skyhold and learning at least some amount of what their interests and specialties are. It's not too terribly different than what she would be doing as First Enchanter within the Circle.

Hermione's been brought to her attention as a Rifter with magic. While these people to some degree fall outside her purview, there is no small amount of curiosity about the magical gifts non-natives are capable of. Not wishing to frighten the young lady with a summons, she instead sends a runner to seek her out bearing an invitation to tea. Although do Rifters take tea? Something to inquire about later.

Once the appointed time arrives, Vivienne's had a lovely spread laid out with tiny finger sandwiches and dainty cakes. She herself remains as stylish as ever with a daring new hat made from scales she took as a little trophy from that dragon in the Western Approach. So perhaps she doesn't mind being a little intimidating.

[bookish_lioness]

The invitation comes as a surprise, mostly because, while no one here has been actively terrible to her, new people generally aren't overtly nice, either. But she's familiar with the name, having heard of Vivienne from more than one source, and between that and the invitation Hermione finds herself cautiously curious.

One of the few good things about arriving in a new world with limited resources is that she doesn't have to worry about what one wears to tea with a new acquaintance; one wears whatever one has that isn't dirty or in need or being tailored. It takes some of the normal societal pressure off, though even as she eventually finds her way up to the balcony in a relatively comfortable pair of jeans and a simple blouse, she can't help but feel a whole host of new worries creeping in.

When the tall woman comes into view (along with that hat, Merlin), Hermione manages a small smile, stopping a respectable distance away just in the off-chance that she's managed to find her way in the wrong balcony and happens to be interrupting someone else's tea time. "Madame Vivienne? I'm Hermione Granger."